Chambers explore merger

The two area chambers of commerce are looking to join forces.

Representatives of the Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce and the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce on Thursday signed a letter of intent “to explore merging
the two organizations and build a model to best service their members in the growing Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park business communities.”

The organization’s new name will be the Prince William Chamber of Commerce

Speaking at the signing, Greater Manassas Chamber Chairman of the Board Molly Grove said, “Our chambers have the same mission: To help our members and all Prince William businesses thrive and
expand. We can offer more opportunities and focus our resources by merging our organizations. We can become the ‘go to’ place for businesses of all sizes and be one voice for the business community in Prince William.”

Regional Chamber Chairman of the Board Jim DiModica agreed.

“As Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park become central in an expanding Northern Virginia, the Prince William Chamber of Commerce will help create the influence and
business community that will foster business growth and jobs,” he said. “By unifying our business community, we hope to engage and attract businesses and opportunities, further increasing our dynamic
economy and quality of life.”

The two chambers presently have about 1,100 members each and employ a total of 15 to 18 workers. The Manassas chamber dates to 1935 and the regional chamber was formed in 1955. Plans are to
retain all of the employees and set up a main headquarters.

The boards of directors of both chambers voted unanimously on Thursday to authorize the signing of the letter, which reads: “The united chamber will be the unifying voice of and resource for the entire
business community. It will represent businesses of all sizes, in all geographic areas of Prince William and in all industry segments. It will work in cooperation with local economic development offices,
offices of tourism, and other local and regional business organizations to leverage the influence of its members, while providing outstanding constituency services, including business-building resources, networking and advocacy for its members. It will be … One Community, One Chamber, One Voice, Expanded Opportunities.”

The possibility of the two organizations getting together has been discussed over the past year.

Focus groups led to the creation of a steering committee and task forces. Over the last several months, members have envisioned the organization’s structure, budget staffing and programming.

“Throughout the process, the needs of our members have been foremost in our minds,” Grove said. “We feel confident that one chamber will provide expanded contracts and resources for the smallest
businesses as well as serve the needs of our largest firms.”

The chambers will conduct membership information sessions over the next six weeks to introduce the one chamber concept and invite member feedback and comments. The full membership will vote on
the merger after the meetings are completed, chamber officials said.

“We understand that small business is the backbone of both chambers, and throughout the development process we kept that in mind,” said DiModica.
Grove and DiModica noted that the two local organizations are currently among the largest chambers in the state. A merger will create an organization of more than 2,000 businesses, making it influential
in the Northern Virginia area.

“We’re fortunate to have two chambers that are very strong in terms of number of members, programming and financial assets. Today is the perfect time to merge our organizations to take one big step
forward and to be ready when the economy rebounds. We will be poised to promote Prince William, Manassas, Manassas Park — and their businesses — throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
We need to be a vibrant force,” DiModica said.

Members of both chambers are encouraged to attend the member information sessions. They should contact either chamber office to obtain further details on the meetings.

Staff writer Bennie Scarton Jr. can be reached at 703-369-6707.